Dishes You Must Learn to Cook Like Your Hispanic Mom

It’s no secret that mom’s chicken noodle soup is the remedy for whatever ails you. Whether it be the common cold or the worst hangover of your life, one bowl of mom’s “sancocho” will have you feeling good as new again! And when we’re talking about our hispanic moms we know theres a lot more than noodles going on there. Shout out to the moms that add potatoes, verduras, corn on the cob, and even a hard-boiled egg in there.

Arepas

Although your typical American breakfast is pretty effing amazing (I mean seriously who can say no to pancakes, hashbrowns, and eggs and bacon), theres something about the multifacetedness of an Arepa that makes life that much more interesting. Probably the best part about an Arepa is being able to stuff whatever last nights leftovers were into that yummy pocket of goodness and scarf it down before you’re asking for seconds. And the secret lies in the dough. You can knead the dough with a stick of butter, or simply add cheese to the dough for a blast of flavor, and let’s not forget the infamous fried arepa which will have your ass in the gym all day, but it was well worth it!

Maduros

A meal without maduros is like a latin mom without a little attitude, it’s just bland! Whether it’s a bistec de palomillo, or pollo a la milanesa, you can never go wrong with adding those sweet breaks in between bites to really bring out the flavor in whatever you are eating. Here’s one of my favorite riddles about the plantain: “Oro parece plata no es, el que no adivine bien tonto es.”

Arroz con Frijoles

The secret to any complete meal in a hispanic household is locked away with the black beans. Frijoles tie everything together into a perfect symphony of delectable pungency, and if done right, every single bean is a burst of flavor. You can pretty much judge how every single dish on the dinner table will taste just by having a spoonful of those black beans. It’s pretty simple, if the beans are delicious you can bet your ass the rest of the meal will be one for the books, but if the beans lack flavor it’s pretty much all downhill from there.

Flan

Some people love flan, some people hate it, but no matter what side of the spectrum you sit on, we can all agree that flan is the most widely acclaimed hispanic dessert in the world! I’ve seen some non-hispanics people go crazy over this dessert, and it’s mainly because they’ve been deprived from it their entire lives. And funny enough, most of the flan haters are actually hispanics that were force fed this dessert on their birthdays when all they actually wanted was a plain old vanilla cake with frosting, “There’s no cool action figures on top of this cake, Mom!”

Arroz Con Pollo

This dish is always a crowd pleaser, no matter where you’re from or how many times you’ve had it this week, a good arroz con pollo is always well-received. The trick is cooking the rice in a savory chicken broth or simply throwing in a few cubitos. Try adding some red peppers and green peas to compliment the rice’s beautiful yellow tint, and watch how this dish will make you happy just by looking at it. Don’t forget to add some Tabasco sauce for an extra spicy flare that is sure to indulge all the senses!

Ropa Vieja

Although the name literally translates to “old clothing” in English, I believe the name for this dish was chosen to keep it as hispanic cuisines best kept secret; just like Iceland’s name was chosen to deter foreigners from taking over. And being with how scrumptious this hispanic food item is, it makes all the sense in the world that they would want to keep it as their hidden gem. Eat it with rice, put it in an Arepa or into a sandwich, eat it all on its own and it’s still a delectable treat! Out of all the other items on this list this one takes home the prize every time!

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